My inspiration to become a teacher came from a combined love of the material, great teachers I had myself, and thinking a little deeper about what I wanted to do with my life. Throughout school, I always had crazy science teachers, professionals who I could tell really enjoyed going to work and were excited about what they were teaching. While I always liked science, it only encouraged me to continue taking science classes; AP Chemistry at 7:30 am? Sure, sounds fun. Anatomy and Physiology instead of art? Awesome, I think we get to do a lot of dissections in that class, right, do you want to take it with me? Their passion fueled my interest. My favorite teacher was an old southern woman whose accent came out when she got really into what she was discussing, colorful chalk all over her clothes and pulling unexpected things out of her science closet. I found myself lucky enough to get a week of private class sessions in after the seniors had all graduated. As the only junior in the class, it was only her and me during final period, dissecting a cat brain; I was the last student she taught in forty years of teaching (an honor in itself,) and I'll always remember her as a great educator and science enthusiast.
Starting out in college, I was a Physiology and Neurobiology major at the University of Connecticut, intending to take the pre-med route and potentially become a doctor. I left UConn Labor Day weekend and never went back; I thought I knew what I wanted, but looking back, I only really knew what I didn't want. It was funny I thought I knew what I was going to do with my entire life as an 18 year old girl who just wanted to get out of the state, making it even more humorous that I can say now I made the right choice withdrawing from UConn and starting at URI on day one with the rest of the freshman class. I initially had only signed up for the B.S track in Biological Sciences, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life anymore, just that it ideally would be in the midst of material I found interesting.
I'm not quite sure what drew me to teaching in the beginning. I loved science and talking about it with people and somewhere along the way I figured out sitting in a lab wasn't for me. I wanted to help people--that's what drew me to the medical field, but I didn't want to analyze symptoms or set bones or culture samples any of that. I wanted people to know why normal, everyday things were so interesting and from feedback, I found out I was decent at explaining things they initially found difficult or uninteresting. I could still help people, just in a way I’d never considered. Signing up for classes one semester, I figured I’d take the History of American Education to see how it went, if nothing it would count for a general education credit. In the end, I was still undecided, so I took EDC 250 to make a decision with some practical experience under my belt; once I got to my placement, I knew it was the right choice. I began looking forward to learning educational theory, classroom management, going to more practicum placements and eventually, being able to teach. Here in the present, I know there is still much to learn in preparation for the spring but without my experiences with great educators and the willingness to see how that first education class went, I may have never ended up here today.
Starting out in college, I was a Physiology and Neurobiology major at the University of Connecticut, intending to take the pre-med route and potentially become a doctor. I left UConn Labor Day weekend and never went back; I thought I knew what I wanted, but looking back, I only really knew what I didn't want. It was funny I thought I knew what I was going to do with my entire life as an 18 year old girl who just wanted to get out of the state, making it even more humorous that I can say now I made the right choice withdrawing from UConn and starting at URI on day one with the rest of the freshman class. I initially had only signed up for the B.S track in Biological Sciences, not really knowing what I wanted to do with my life anymore, just that it ideally would be in the midst of material I found interesting.
I'm not quite sure what drew me to teaching in the beginning. I loved science and talking about it with people and somewhere along the way I figured out sitting in a lab wasn't for me. I wanted to help people--that's what drew me to the medical field, but I didn't want to analyze symptoms or set bones or culture samples any of that. I wanted people to know why normal, everyday things were so interesting and from feedback, I found out I was decent at explaining things they initially found difficult or uninteresting. I could still help people, just in a way I’d never considered. Signing up for classes one semester, I figured I’d take the History of American Education to see how it went, if nothing it would count for a general education credit. In the end, I was still undecided, so I took EDC 250 to make a decision with some practical experience under my belt; once I got to my placement, I knew it was the right choice. I began looking forward to learning educational theory, classroom management, going to more practicum placements and eventually, being able to teach. Here in the present, I know there is still much to learn in preparation for the spring but without my experiences with great educators and the willingness to see how that first education class went, I may have never ended up here today.